One of the lessons that the pandemic has taught the world is that economic drivers along with local communities and the environment must be at the core of business operations to make them sustainable. Tourism stakeholders who are looking for directions may refer to the toolkit devised by TOFTigers.
TOFTigers is an initiative which advocates and supports best practice in nature tourism to save wildlife and tigers and their habitat.
The toolkit is designed around their PUG certification which, according to the organisation&rsquos website, is South Asia&rsquos highest standard for nature and eco-friendly accommodation providers in wilderness destinations, a process officially recognised by the UN&rsquos Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
To help the travel industry stakeholders in their &lsquojourney towards responsible practice&rsquo, the information in the toolkit has been divided into nine overlapping themes which include what responsible practice and TOFTigers&rsquo certification processes cover.
The themes include Local Economy &ndash Employment, Skills and Enterprise, Community Liaison & Support, Water Conservation & Treatment, Energy & Carbon Footprint, Waste Management & Recycling, Nature Education & Conservation, Cultural Heritage, Sustainable Building, Health, Safety & Pollution, Responding to COVID-19 (with focus on the protocols) and Case Studies of individual lodges.
Apart from giving a brief introduction on why the theme is important, the toolkit talks about how responsible action can benefit the business, a summary of top-line action, examples of good practices, and detailed case studies. Tips and additional information are provided in the resources section. Examples may reflect operations before Covid-19 set in, the organisation said.
However, one must remember that each business is unique and it is not feasible to adopt a cookie cutter approach. But the toolkit can be used as an information base for general guidance which can be adopted or adapted depending on the situation, destination or country.
TOFTigers has made the toolkit available as downloadable PDFs on their website. The organisation is likely to update the toolkit from time to time.